Sept. 12--The best and toughest political compromises are those in which each side makes meaningful, significant concessions. The deal on the "sanctuary state" bill struck this week by Senate leader Kevin de LeÃ³n, D-Los Angeles, and Gov. Jerry Brown is one such compromise. The measure would limit -- but not ban -- help provided by state and local law enforcement agencies to federal immigration authorities.

Senate Bill 54 still has teeth. It prohibits officers and deputies from asking individuals about their immigration status, from working as de facto federal immigration agents and from accepting detainment "hold requests" from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. It also ends the practice of letting ICE agents have permanent space in jails.

But in return, Brown got a provision allowing local and state authorities to share information about inmates guilty of nearly 800 offenses left out of previous versions of SB 54. The bill would also, with limits, give federal agents access to state crime databases and specify that officials in the state corrections department are not subject to its restrictions on cooperation with the feds.

It achieves de LeÃ³n's goal of ensuring the state doesn't enable mass deportations. It achieves Brown's goal of ensuring unauthorized immigrants with serious criminal records don't get a pass. If only such political compromises were more common.

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